Cloth moving device



y 1962 R. HAGENUAER ET AL 3,032,210

CLOTH MOVING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1959 INVENTORS./-#46EA/4U4 9 \A 6. 654A c ATTORNEY y 1962 R. HAGENUAER ET AL 3,032,210

CLOTH MOVING DEVICE Filed July 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS-16465 4u54 f w 6 6-54 AC N ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,032,210CLOTH MOVING DEVICE Rudolph Hagenuaer, 56 Lenhome Drive, Cranford, N.J.,and Joseph G. Geraci, 372 Union St., Jersey City, NJ. Filed July 29,1959, Ser. No. 830,369 1 Claim. (Cl. 214-1.7)

This invention relates to the art of cutting cloth, conventionally drawnfrom rollers at one end of a very long cloth cutting table and thereassembled into a stack of superposed layers of the order, for example,of 250-500 ply thickness weighing 800-1600 pounds. This example isillustrative only, the invention in no wise being limited thereto. It isnecessary to movethe stack of superposed layers of cloth from the end ofthe table onto the remainder of the table, workmen at various stationsthen cutting the cloth along marked patterns. The procedure of so movingthe cloth has heretofore required the effort of a number of men and wasan awkward, time-consuming, costly procedure, greatly reducing theefiiciency of the operation.

This problem is recognized and solved by the device of the invention,enabling the stack of superposed layers of cloth to be readily movedfrom the stacking end of the table onto the table proper automaticallyand conveniently and without the exertion of any substantial manualeffort, by a single operator, in a fraction of the time previouslyrequired, saving manpower in the moving of the cloth and further freeingthe end of the table on which the stack of cloth was folded so that thecloth stacking operation may then be repeated there for the next batch.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the top of a table on whicha cloth moving device of the invention is shown positioned, the end of astack of superposed layers of cloth being shown clamped and ready formovement onto the table,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of said device,

FIG. 3 is a partly broken, perspective view, showing, fragmentarily, aportion of the cloth moving device of the invention positioned thereon,and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, elevational view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The objective of the invention is to move the cloth from one end 11 ofthe table at which it has been folded or stacked into the desired numberof layers, onto the table proper and toward the end 12 thereof, menpositioned at various stations along the table, cutting the clothaccording to a pattern on the uppermost layer thereof. The inventionobviates the necessity of utilizing the services of a team of men for somoving the cloth and comprises a device having a platform 13 withbearings 14 (FIG. 2) in which an axle 15 is rotatably journalled anddriven by belt, chain 16 (or gear means) or direct wheel drive or thelike from a power source 17 which may be a pulley (FIG. 1) keyed toshaft 18 of a gear changer 19 driven by a shaft 20 connected to thearmature shaft 21 of the motor 22 by universal joint 23. Wheels 24(FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) are keyed to the shaft 18 and may be formed flanged(FIGS. 1 and. 2) so as to interfit with the side edges 25 of the tableto guide the platform 13 in movement on the table or (FIG. 4) havedirect traction contact with the top of the table 10. The wheels 24, asnoted, are preferably secured to axle and for straight line movement. Afurther wheel or wheels 52 (FIG. 2) may be mounted for universalmovement, to facilitate turning of the platform if desired. The platformmay be guided by the operators control of a handle 26 which may havecom- Patented May 1, 1962 bined therewith a trigger 44 control for motorswitch 35 (FIG. 1). The platform 13 is formed downwardly at the otherend thereof as noted at 27 (P16. 1) to facilitate positioning the end 28of the stack of superposed layers of cloth thereon. The platform 13 isprovided with brackets 29, 30 extending laterally and upwardlytherefrom, passing along the sides of the stack of cloth 28, the freeends 31, 32 of the brackets being inturned and provided with means 33rotatable through threaded opening therein against plate 27 for clampingthe cloth between the plate 47 and platform 13. Plate 47 is hinged as at46 on brackets 45, 45 fixed to the platform 13. The motor switch 35 maybe connected by wiper contact bar 39 in trolley 37 with a power source36 which may be elongated electric wires parallel with and spaced fromthe table 10 (FIG. 1) in an overhead rail in which the trolley 37slides. The cable 38 in practice will be made quite heavy so that thetrolley 37 would readily move in unison with the platform as the latteris moved on the table.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

A device for moving a stack of superposed layers of cloth from one endof a table having an elongated top at which end the cloth is folded tosuperposed stack form, toward the other end of the table for the clothcutting operation, said device comprising a platform, wheels on saidplatform for movably mounting the same on the table top, an elongatedelectric Wire for connection to a power source disposed parallel to andspaced from the table top and extending from one end to the other endthereof, means on said platform to movably position the same on thetable top, electric motor means secured to the platform and engagingsaid means to move the platform on the table top on actuation of saidmotor means, switch means engaging said motor means for actuating saidmotor means, a flexible cable connected at one end to the switch means,means at the other end of the cable slidably engaging the electric wireto thus connect the platform motor means therewith while the platform ismoved along the table top, brackets secured to said platform andextending substantially upwardly therefrom intermediate the axial lengthof said platform so that said stack of cloth may be registered with saidbrackets, said brackets being proportioned to extend substantially tothe top of the superposed stack of cloth, a plate movably connected tothe upper ends of said brackets for movement onto the stack of cloth andclamp means engaging the platform and the plate for clamping the clothintermediate the plate and platform, said platform being formeddownwardly at one end thereof beyond said bracket to facilitate draggingthe superposed layers of cloth so secured to said platform along thetable top from said end of the platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS270,186 Finney Jan, 2, 1883 281,859 Fox July 24, 1883 710,639 VickersOct. 7, 1902 1,072,817 Buckwalter Sept. 9, 1913 1,941,117 Teach Dec. 26,1933 2,254,104 Joy Aug. 26, 1941 2,395,323 Framhein Feb. 19, 19462,590,355 Turner et a1. Mar. 25, 1952 2,757,813 Adams Aug. 7, 19562,873,694 Iaskowiak Feb. 17, 1959 2,950,830 Johnson Aug. 30, 1960FOREIGN PATENTS 835,406 Germany Mar. 31, 1952

